HARRISBURG – The PA House passed a bill to strengthen mental health awareness for students and provide critical training for coaches and staff at schools across the Commonwealth. House Bill 1706 would require that coaches receive mental health awareness training like the training required of other school personnel. It would also ensure that all students, their parents or guardians, athletic staff and extracurricular advisors are informed of the availability of mental health services within their school and community. The measure would require the PA Department of Education to post online materials to help public school students, parents, and coaches to recognize signs of mental health distress or illness, require the PIAA to include mental health awareness in its training of coaches, and require schools to refer students to an assistance program within 14 days if they show sudden behavioral changes or are habitually truant. The bill moves to the PA Senate.
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